| Death of a Gentle Lady (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries, No. 24) | 
 enlarge | Author: M. C. Beaton
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $23.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 78188
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0446582603
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780446582605
ASIN: 0446582603
Publication Date: February 11, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Nice addition to the series February 21, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Hamish Macbeth is heading for the altar, again, and one would think, according to the old adage, that "the third time's a charm." Marriage is not to be for the venerable policeman, as his fiancee, Ayesha disappears the day of the wedding. Hamish suspects her employer, Mrs. Gentle, of being somehow involved, although, by all accounts, the woman is as delicate and kind as her surname implies.
Further investigation by Scotland's favorite low-tech policeman brings to light Mrs. Gentle's dark side. Her machinations are behind a threat to Macbeth's police department branch in Lochdubh, as she partners with Macbeth's nemesis, Detective Chief Inspector Blair. Before the process can be completed, the Gentle lady is found at the bottom of a cliff beneath her beloved castle-and it is up to Hamish to solve the mystery.
Money seems to be the motive in all of the evil doings, but perhaps there is more then just an inheritance at stake. In addition, Hamish is dealing with his always hungry and periodically neglected beasts, a village version of the Scottish play complete with witches and the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe as Lady Macbeth and a mysterious woman cyclist with rather large feet.
Hamish Macbeth is a character in the truest sense of the definition, and it is to M.C. Beaton's credit as an author that she allows his idiosyncratic personality to have its way in this cozy.
Armchair Interviews says: Death of a Gentle Lady is a perfect selection for any dark and stormy night this spring!
A pleasant cozy mystery February 20, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
In M. C. Beaton's 14th Hamish Macbeth mystery, the Scottish constable is getting married, much to the chagrin of two of his previous loves. Don't get too excited, though. Rather than finding the girl of his dreams, Hamish has become entangled with Mrs. Gentle's servant, Ayesha Tahir, a Turkish beauty who is not at all what she seems.
When Hamish proposed a marriage in name only to the gorgeous foreign maid, he had no idea that she was really Russian, not Turkish, as well as a hooker, a lesbian and a sneaky blackmailer. His only thought was to allow the tearful woman to stay in the country and save his police station from being closed. However, as they often say, no good deed goes unpunished. Hamish is living proof of that.
When Ayesha (or whoever she is) fails to show up at the wedding, the villagers are aghast at poor Hamish's public humiliation. Hamish, however, is filled with nothing but relief, as are two of his previous paramours, Patricia Halburton-Smythe and Elspeth Grant. Since Ayesha left her passport and $10,000 in cash, it's anybody's guess as to where she has disappeared to.
The lovely Mrs. Gentle --- an elderly woman whom everyone, except those closest to her, believes lives up to her name --- is throwing the wedding reception. But Hamish is not fooled by her appearance of sweetness. He knows that she is a vile, vindictive troublemaker, but getting anyone else to see that is nigh-on impossible.
One person obviously knew it though because Mrs. Gentle turns up dead. As her family is gathered in the ugly faux castle she called home, the truth comes to light that Mrs. Gentle was everything Hamish saw in her and more. She managed to make the lives of her son, daughter, grandchildren and nephew miserable.
Shortly after Mrs. Gentle is murdered, Ayesha is found in the castle, also a victim of murder. While Ayesha would have been the prime suspect in Mrs. Gentle's death, it's obvious that she was killed first. Who would have wanted these two women dead? Is Hamish dealing with just one assailant, or possibly two?
The Highlands are thrown into turmoil as Hamish races against time to find the culprit or culprits, even starting a rumor to draw out the murderer that places his own life in danger. With his cat and dog the only ones he can trust, Hamish is between a rock and a hard place. Can he solve the murders quickly and keep others, including himself, from dying?
As if all of this turmoil wasn't enough, there is a production of Macbeth in the works, a Russian inspector to deal with, Hamish's superiors and still the challenge of keeping his police station open.
DEATH OF A GENTLE LADY is a pleasant cozy mystery with plenty of twists and turns and a cast of interesting characters that make one long for a holiday in Lochdubh.
--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor
 Appearances can be deceiving. February 19, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Appearances can be deceiving. Mrs. Margaret Gentle appeared to be the definition of a lady; everyone that met her acknowledged the fact, almost everyone. However, deep inside she was a "pretentious bitch." It did not take long for local police officer Hamish Macbeth to determine what she was really like. When Gentle fired her maid, the beautiful young, Ayesha turned to Hamish for shelter. In a reckless moment, he proposed in an attempt to keep her from deportation. He soon regretted his impulsiveness. He did not want to marry; although he had come close several times. Hamish made it to the altar this time, but Ayesha did not; she just disappeared. While searching for the missing woman, he discovered a body and many secrets.
I found it hard to stay focused on Death of a Gentle Lady. While there were many twists and turns, they seem to distract from the plot rather than enhance. The characters lacked depth. I love mysteries but this one just was not up to standards.
Reviewed by B Lamar for ReviewYourBook.com
Subplots Galore in This Story-Packed Mystery February 18, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
In Death of a Gentle Lady, you will find a psychologically worn-out Hamish Macbeth. He's going through the motions. When his police station is threatened by newcomer Mrs. Gentle, Hamish takes the easy way out by proposing a marriage of convenience to Mrs. Gentle's maid, Ayesha. The marriage will keep his police station, and Ayesha can become a legal resident.
Why does Mrs. Gentle have it in for Hamish? He unexpectedly heard some hint of family secrets while making a courtesy call. What could Mrs. Gentle have to hide? That question becomes the source of much of the book's mystery.
In the process of untangling that mystery, Hamish also finds himself dodging attentions from his ex-girl friend, Elspeth Grant; his ex-fiancee, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe; a Russian police inspector, Anna Krokovsky; and Aileen Drummond, a police constable. In the process, the villagers decide that Hamish may have become a health hazard.
If that weren't enough, Detective Inspector Blair is after Hamish again, and the challenge is one of the most serious that Hamish has faced.
I found the story was a little over-packed with subplots. As a result, some of them didn't get as much attention as they needed in order to be fully developed and satisfying, especially the marriage of convenience subplot. Personally, I would have dropped two of the subplots if I were the books editor and I think the story would have worked a lot better. The story also goes over a lot of familiar ground so that there's not enough new. In that sense, adding the Russian inspector was a good breath of fresh air for the series.
But if you are a sincere fan of the series, you'll probably think this is an above-average outing for Hamish. I certainly did. I thought the book was an improvement over Death of a Maid.
If you haven't read any of the books, do go back to the beginning and read them in chronological order. You'll get more out of the character development that way.
 Is MC Beaton beating a dead horse? February 18, 2008
7 out of 12 found this review helpful
Oh well, I guess it was too good to last. Perhaps Beaton was too influenced by the badly done and thankfully short-lived BBC series depiction of her wonderful Hamish character.I had really enjoyed the character-development, wit, and human insights presented in the earlier books, but this one was really disappointing. Past mysteries were always a bit contrived but this one did not have anything in the way of the charm or writing skills of earlier books. The plot was overly contrived and the characters (including Hamish) were one-dimensional - caricatures rather than real people. Sadly, I think that the author is getting bored with Hamish and just churning stuff out for the publisher. I am really sorry about this because I really enjoyed most of the earlier works. Alas.
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